It is frequently necessary to cut or break a surface, such as a dirt or clay surface which may have rocks and/or roots embedded therein or a paved surface such as an asphalt roadway, in order to permit the installation of utilities of various types. It is also necessary at times to remove portions of pavement from roadways and other paved surfaces in order to install such utilities or in preparation for repair or replacement of the pavement. Sometimes, the surface is cut or broken for these purposes by repeatedly driving a chiseling or crushing device downwardly into the surface. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,629 of Gurries. Because of the nature of such devices, they move intermittently across a surface, raising and dropping their chisels or crushing tools. Consequently, these devices are limited in the speed at which they can be operated to cut into a surface or to break up pavement. Other cutting or breaking devices employ rippers or cutters in which a blade or blades are pulled through the upper portion of the surface (including, but not limited to pavement) by a vehicle as it moves along the surface. Some such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,509 of Soderlund and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,602 of Gurries et al. Generally, all of the prior art devices tend to transmit significant vibrations to the transport vehicle, making such work difficult for an operator to endure for a significant length of time.
It would be desirable, therefore, if a surface cutting or breaking assembly could be provided that minimizes the vibrations that are transmitted to a towing or support vehicle. It would also be desirable if such an assembly could be provided that is relatively simple to build, maintain and operate.